info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

City of Wichita’s social media page has been hacked. Don’t click the link.

info2022-07-18T07:25:40-05:00July 17th, 2022|

The City of Wichita’s Twitter page was hacked, city officials said Friday evening. “We had two factor authorization enacted and changed passwords recently,” city spokesperson Megan Lovely said around 8:30 p.m. “We were alerted by Twitter this afternoon there was a login from Turkey. Then we contacted Twitter immediately and began changing passwords. We hope to have this resolved quickly.” The Eagle reached out to the city after a reporter got an odd message from the city’s Twitter page (@CityofWichita), which has more than 22,000 followers. A city spokesperson responded that they had been hacked and just found out. Source: Wichita [...]

People in De Soto are excited for Panasonic’s battery plant, but ‘this is a big jump for us’

info2022-07-18T07:27:28-05:00July 17th, 2022|

People in De Soto, Kansas, are feeling hopeful about the future of their town after Panasonic announced on July 13 that it will build a $4 billion plant in the town to make electric vehicle batteries for Tesla. Still, they have concerns about the environmental ramifications of the plant and how ready De Soto is to welcome thousands of newcomers. Kansas officials estimate that the factory will bring about 4,000 new jobs to the quickly growing town on the edge of western Kansas City. ... Kathy Yates is currently looking for a house near De Soto for her and her family. [...]

Ellinwood celebrates hometown roots

info2022-07-18T07:29:02-05:00July 17th, 2022|

Ellinwood held its 49th annual After Harvest Festival this weekend with a celebration of “Hometown Roots.” Community members who live along the parade route watched from front porches, while others brought chairs downtown for the Saturday morning parade. The Ellinwood Rotary Club has been coordinating the AHF Parade since 1991. ... The festival wrapped up Saturday night with a dance featuring Cody Canada and the Departed at the City Park. Source: Great Bend Tribune

Wichita Firefighter and Family Lose Home, Pets in Thursday Night Housefire

info2022-07-18T07:29:16-05:00July 17th, 2022|

A Wichita Firefighter and his family are without a home following a house fire Thursday night. Jeremy Kuffler was on-duty when the call at his home went out. His wife and two children were not home when the fire started. A neighbor attempted to rescue two of Kuffler’s dogs that were trapped in the home. Unfortunately, the dogs could not be rescued. A GoFundMe page has been set-up to help the family recover. Source: 101.3 KFDI

Event At Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum Celebrates Wichita’s 152nd Birthday

info2022-07-18T07:30:54-05:00July 17th, 2022|

The Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum celebrates special 152st birthdays: The City of Wichita was officially “born” July 21, 1870, just 3 months after the establishment of Sedgwick County Kansas. The Historical Museum is the place to celebrate local history year-round and opens with free admission for the weekend in return for a Birthday Card to any of Sedgwick County’s. The event will be held on Saturday July 23rd and Sunday, July 24th from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum, located at 204 S. Main. Visit www.wichitahistory.org for more info. Source: 101.3 KFDI

Municipal Bond Trends for July 15, 2022

info2022-07-17T08:21:50-05:00July 17th, 2022|

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS "investment grade" yields. Every issuer's credit is different. For rates that may be applicable to your municipality, contact our Municipal Bond Advisors, Larry Kleeman and Beth Warren.

Amid rising job vacancies, Lawrence city manager’s recommended budget includes $4.2M for employee raises

info2022-07-17T08:19:29-05:00July 17th, 2022|

One of the priorities in the city manager’s recommended budget is improving pay for city employees, and the budget allocates $4.2 million toward raises. The 2022 budget included $5 million to increase pay, and City Manager Craig Owens said the $4.2 million included in the recommended budget would conclude a multiyear plan to bring city wages to market-competitive rates. Owens named employee compensation as one of a few priorities in the budget. Source: LJWorld

Lawrence leaders to consider regulations and fees for long-term parklet program; $1,000 per parking stall proposed

info2022-07-16T10:02:59-05:00July 16th, 2022|

City leaders will soon consider proposed limitations, design criteria and fees for a program that would allow businesses to construct patios and outdoor dining areas in downtown parking stalls on a permanent basis. As part of its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission will consider adopting an ordinance establishing the permanent program, which will establish various regulations and charge businesses $1,000 per year per parking stall used. The city initiated a temporary version of the program at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, and commissioners previously indicated they wanted to develop the permanent version and hired an architecture firm to help [...]

Will deal charge Kansas economy?

info2022-07-15T07:55:01-05:00July 15th, 2022|

The news Wednesday that global technology giant Panasonic would be building a $4 billion electric vehicle battery plant in De Soto was treated as the biggest economic win for Kansas since an Abilene farmer started the trend of planting winter wheat in the 1870s. ... officials now will have to answer the question of what comes next, both for the project and Kansas’ economic development landscape. ... Patrick Lowry, a spokesperson for the Kansas Department of Commerce, said there are currently eight proposed megaprojects “in the pipeline.” “Industries range from advanced manufacturing to data centers to renewable energy with capital investment [...]

Even at $200,000 a job, Kansas paid below the going rate in its deal to land a Panasonic factory

info2022-07-15T07:47:40-05:00July 15th, 2022|

Even at roughly $200,000 per job, analysts say the tax breaks and other incentives Kansas put on the table to bring Panasonic’s battery-making plant to De Soto fall short of the giveaways other states have made in recent years. Still, the tax dollars devoted to bringing the $4 billion electric vehicle battery plant to Johnson County bust any records in Kansas for tempting a business to the state. And few details have been made public about the $829 million incentive plan that was negotiated behind closed doors. The factory will be the largest economic development plan in Kansas history. The company [...]

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